( open ) ; tell me about the days where your body feels nothing like a body

[spellslots]

who: Taako + you
what: A spa day, a fight with a god, and a bad time
when: Novemeber
where: Around!!
warnings: Violence in the threads with Thor & Dodger. Vague Thor 3 spoilers in the thread with Thor.



cisco; tired little laughs, gold-lie promises

[They've all had a shitty month and it feels like a perfect excuse to splash out a little at the fanciest fucking spa Taako can get them into; he catered an event here a few months ago and made sure to keep in touch with the event manager, so the discount isn't anything to scoff at, and he's gone all out in the treatments they're getting.

But after a massage (nice), manicure (even nicer), and a dip in the pool (hella nice), Taako has dragged Cisco to try out the sauna where they can chill for a little while. He tried to bring a glass of sparkling in but was gently deterred by one of the staff, which is rude but probably for the best, since he's already on his way to decidely tipsy.

On the plus side, that helps him finally bring up something that's been on his mind for a while; once Taako is comfortable and the room is full of steam, he casts a lazy look at Cisco.]

Can I ask you a question, my man?

thor; what's a god to a nonbeliever?

[If he's being honest with himself, this is probably a very bad idea, but Taako tries not to be honest with himself and anyway, he's been itching for another fight since the tangle with the cultists, as if that wasn't quite satisfying enough. Or maybe he's just finally remembered how fun it is to wreck some dipshits, since things are so damn quiet in the Quarantine. Either way, there isn't any real danger in what he's doing here; Thor might hurt him, but he won't kill Taako, and there's not much else that a potion can't fix.

It's been a long time since he's had to prepare for a one on one, but Taako doesn't get too involved with it (a lot of his attention has gone towards studying the books he borrowed from the cultists), he gets dressed in his regular adventuring gear and makes sure he's got all his useful items on him, just in case he can use any of them. The umbra staff is in his hand, as per usual, and he has a little mental list of spells that he thinks will work for this. He can't exactly predict how the fight will go, but he knows what his personal priorities are and has a handful of backups in mind. His hair is braided out of the way and he's left most of his jewellery at home, just in case.

Between Bryn, Loki and the members if the IPRE in the Quarantine, they've got a little crowd nearby to watch the show, and that only makes Taako more into it, because he gets to show off.]

You ready to go, or are you gonna need a little more time to warm up?

[He's just being a shit, but it's good natured.]

open; now I've got you here I'll never lead you back

[The month starts of… mostly fine; there's the awkwardness with Magnus and Taako finds himself a little more irritable than usual, but he's brushed it off as a side effect of everything dredged up by the ghosts and the memories he's been forced to share and relive. He'll get over it eventually, and at least he has a project to throw himself into. The handful of books he brought back from the cultists hideout are full of weird and interesting magic that he wants to decipher, if only to make sure no one does that shit again.

By the fourth, he's starts to feel as though someone's watching him whenever he leaves the house, and he starts picking up the pace whenever he has something to do outside, eschewing taxis out of some misplaced worry that they aren't safe. He ends up on Garyl a lot, since he's faster on Garyl than he is on foot, and no one can mess with the illusory horse that he summoned. It makes of a bit of a curious look, this stupid wizard elf making his way through the streets on a unicorn, but it offers him a sense of safety that he's struggling to maintain, right now.

As more time passes the feelings start to get worse, enough that a visit from Cisco and way too many security cameras don’t help to alleviate the paranoia. He has a feeling it must be someone from the cult, having escaped during the fighting and coming back for the items he took, which makes him more eager to figure out the magic in them so he can know how to protect himself.

Every day, he carefully reinforces the wards around their house, stretching them out a little further each time, bolstering them with small spells that don't just block, but also harm anyone who tries to get past them. The magic around the houses shifts from protective to violent, something that's echoed in the way Taako conducts himself.

He's short and sharp with people whenever he has to interact with them, whether it's at the markets or clothes shopping or out at a bar. For a long time, he tries to push past the paranoia to maintain his usual routine, but that just gives him more places to feel snappish and irritated, and it paints a bigger target on his back for whoever's watching him. Even going out for a drink becomes a struggle; he picks a fight with someone because he's sure they were watching him and ends up getting swiftly escorted out after throwing a bunch of lightning around.

Despite everything going on, he's always immaculately put together, more so than usual, as if he can cover up how rattled he's feeling by making sure his outfit and hair are always perfect. The same can't be said for the state of his room; while he's not the tidiest person in the world, it grows worse during the month, as he eschews things like cleaning up in favour of practicing spells and still trying to decipher those fucking books.

It's gonna be a long month.]

Comments

[worldsaway]

[Thor pressses his lips together in a thin, disapproving line when Lup shushes him, but he doesn't argue with her. He hangs back and lets them talk amongst themselves, watching curiously as Taako drinks the potion and regains a little more strength.

He's become a little pensive, now that the shock is passing he can start to think a little deeper about what just happened. He wishes it were as easy as going home to talk to his Father, but he's stuck with his confusion now.

The only thing that snaps him out of it is Taako's hand on his cheek. His eyes unglaze and he glances between Lup and Taako with a raised brow.]

Is she going to finish your fight for you? [His tone isn't judging, more curious. Thor rolls with the punches.]

[umbrastaff]

[Lup rolls her eyes at Taako's warning look, but she's being good. She's not yelling or exploding anything! She's not even giving Thor that much of a crazy demolition sister look any more.

It's sad, honestly, because she had been enjoying this fight so much and would have been okay with a loss as long as it was fun, but fun did not include losing control or whatever he had done and frying her brother.

She sighs again as Taako asks her to retrieve the hammer, and she almost does that when Thor opens his mouth and words spill out.

Curiosity, maybe. Sounded like a challenge to her.]

Oh, hell yes. Bring it.

[spellslots]

Nope, nuh-uh, the fight is officially over, congrats big guy.

[It's not ego here, especially considering he's admitting that Thor won, it's just a desire to stop this getting more messy than it already is. Thor can't control... whatever's going on there, not without the hammer, and--]

Oh. [It's clear something just clicked; he looks at Thor, at the tree where he cast the door, at the umbra staff, back at Thor.] It's a focus. The hammer is your focus.

[worldsaway]

[When Taako brings them back down from one hundred to zero, Thor shrugs. He isn't bothered either way, but it probably is a good idea to hold back and disengage.

Taako's revelation doesn't translate for Thor, he narrows his eyes.]

The hammer is a hammer. [Plainly.] My hammer.

[umbrastaff]

Okay, okay.

[She overdramatically snaps her fingers, casting the spell to open the pocket dimension again so the hammer could be called.]

You behave, okay?

[She gestures two fingers to her eyes and then towards Thor before she backs off so Taako can have a chat about hammers.]

[spellslots]

[He sort of vaguely waves his hands, as if that can explain it, before getting sidetracked by Lup telling Thor to behave. He gives her a quick peck on the cheek before she backs off, then returns his attention to Thor.]

A focus is like... a way to channel power, magic, usually, but I dunno if that's what I'd call your shit. Like my umbra staff, or a wand or a stave, whatever you wanna use, cause like, I can cast magic without it but it's messy and dangerous and I could end up killing myself or someone else.

[He gestures between himself and Thor; like what just nearly happened.]

[worldsaway]

[Thor holds out a hand when Lup opens a portal, waiting a moment before mjolnir flies out of the portal and into his palm. He's gripping it pretty tight.

He nods at Lup, ppinting at her casually with the hammer.]

Next time. [He jokes, then lowers the hammer. ]

I'm no wizard. Loki is the one with magic, our mother taught him everything. Our father taught me to fight and, I must say, he made no mention of dangerous, uncontrollable magic that I need to harness.

[He considers that for a moment.] But it wouldn't be the only thing he kept from me. From us.

[He glances at Loki in the crowd.]

[spellslots]

[softly: don't]

Maybe you wouldn't call it magic, there's all sorts of words for the shit people can do, and gods are like, a whole other kettle of fish. The point is the function, not the semantics, yeah? And that - [He points at mjolnir] - my dude, is a focus.

[He's not getting caught up on whether Odin lied, because it doesn't matter for this one way or another.]

[worldsaway]

[Thor glances down at the hammer when Taako points at it, brows furrowed.]

I thought it all came from in here. [He gives it a shake.] I've been without it before, but I've never done... [Vague gesture.]

..That. And I am sorry, by the way. I'm only glad I didn't do worse.

[spellslots]

Well, surprise, I guess.

[He doesn't see any reason to question how long Thor went before realizing this, maybe there's a reason it's happening now that Taako isn't privy to, or maybe it's something else entirely. ]

And don't sweat it, I'm kinda pissed you won, but I feel like I got a few good shots in. You should probably learn to control that shit though.

[worldsaway]

I'll work on it.

[He's not sure how, but it's something he'll be looking into at the very least.

Thor holds out a hand for a shake.]

You had me worried. No doubt, that's why I lost my composure.

[spellslots]

[Taako would offer to help, but he might save that for a later conversation because he's pretty sure Lup would destroy them both, so for now he just grins and shakes Thor's hand.]

I'll take that. [Wait, he has to be a little bit terrible, just to convince everyone (and himself) that he's not rattled by what happened.] This was my first time with a god, after all.

[worldsaway]

[Thor chuckles, and the offhand comment prompts him to draw Taako in for a pointedly gentle hug.]

I'd say we should do it again sometime, but I fear neither of us would make it out alive.

[He lets Taako go.] You should get some rest.

[spellslots]

[Oh, okay a hug is happening, that's cool, he can handle that. He even gives Thor a little pat on the back.]

Cause Lup would kill us before we even got started?

[He steps back when Thor releases him, bending down to pick up the umbra staff and brushing off the dirt.

As for resting...]

I'm pretty sure we promised Bryn an after party and I'm expecting some apology drinks outta you. But go talk to Loki first, he might have some advice about this shit.

[worldsaway]

[Thor smiles at the very mention of Bryn's name. A little brighter than he has been so far.

He nods.]

A drink or two is the least I could do. [He glances back toward Loki and toward a rock, it looks to be a good place for a quick chat about their crazy, old father.]

This could take a while.

[spellslots]

Good luck, darling.

[After tossing up between saluting and blowing a kiss, Taako goes for the latter, before turning on his heel and heading over to Lup, so he can reassure her that he's fine.

And maybe get another potion.]

[inlaid]

[Bryn waits on the sidelines for longer than she likes, but both Thor and Taako have siblings to speak with and her relationship with both parties doesn't trump that. Especially Lup and Taako, and especially in light of what happened.

So she watches from afar for a while, studying both Taako and Thor, looking for any sign that something is amiss. It's easier to study them, to actively watch them than to fuss and worry. It's a job, it's one that requires patience, and it's centering because that fight was more than she'd anticipated. More than either of them had expected either.

It's only when Taako seems to have appeased Lup that she ambles over.]

You know, if you wanted to bad-touch Thor with tentacles you probably only had to ask.

[A joke, because it's how they do. Of course, she's not very good at hiding the fact that she's shaken or worried with her tone so bleak.]

[spellslots]

[All in all, Taako is unsettled, but okay. He's used to fights that push him to the end of his tether, one with far higher stakes than the one today, against people who wouldn't have stopped at getting him on his knees. Being electrocuted hurt more than the machinery that was dropped on him in Wonderland, but less than being crushed to death when he fell in Refuge.

Lup seems more off put than Taako is, but that's probably normal, and she calms down after enough reassurances that he's okay. There are still burns on his skin, potions tend to heal from the inside out, fixing up the deepest damage first, and he's going to need to do some serious hair maintenance after this. But overall - he's doing okay, enough that he easily winds an arm around Bryn's shoulders when she comes over.]

What about the choking, you think I could get in on that action again? I'm learning all sorts of things about myself today.

[He's going to be a shit in return, but he gives her a squeeze to reassure her.]

[inlaid]

[Her arm slips around behind his waist as his drapes over her shoulders, and she stops trying to hide that she was worried. Sighing with relief, she looks him over, head to toe, noting the burns with obvious concern.]

Mm, I'm sure something could be arranged. He might feel he owes you after this.

[It's about all she can manage before she breaks the rules. They don't often show their deeper emotions to one another but there are very few people in this city that Bryn feels a connection with, which means that Taako gets all of the care that she might normally spare for several people.]

Can I help with those burns?

[She's got air magic under her belt, and fire too. Water is the latest and it's come with a couple healing spells that ought to help a little. Not to mention it would do her a world of good to not feel so helpless after what she witnessed on the sidelines.]

[spellslots]

[He hums, as though he's seriously considering whether he can milk this situation, despite the fact they both know that he's just messing around.

And he doesn't mind about her breaking their silly rules; that was scary for him and he's sure it was scary for the people watching, so when she offers a little healing, he nods.]

Go for it, bubbale, you can't be any worse than Merle.

[inlaid]

[Bryn knows that Thor might wonder when she's going to catch up with him. By the time Loki and Thor seem to have finished with each other, and Lup and Taako as well, she goes to the elf's side first. It's not that she doesn't care about Thor and doesn't want to celebrate his vicotry...it's just that it was pretty hard for her to see that whole fight go down. More than she expected it to.

So, in the end, Bryn doesn't make it to Thor's side until they all make it to the bar for celebratory No-One-Died drinks. And Bryn does do her part to make it a celebration. The first round of drinks for everyone who participated or witnessed the fight is on her. Deities know they could all probably use something to take the edge off.

An hour or so later sees Bryn very relaxed and working her way back to Thor's side. The smile comes a little more easily to her face than it did right after the fight, and she slings an arm around his shoulders as she half-perches on his knee.]

So. How would you feel about taking this party elsewhere?

[worldsaway]

[Thor isn't offended when he isn't Bryn's priority, but something in him aches when her smile doesn't seem quite so bright. He feels like something of a pariah at his own party, he's not sure it's a victory worth celebrating.

He's good at swallowing down his feelings and putting on a friendly air. He owes Taako a few rounds of drinks, and the more he has, the more at ease he becomes.

By the time Bryn finds him again, he's far more settled. His mind still wanders when he's alone or quiet for too long, but her presence quickly snaps him out of it.]

Is it tacky to leave my own party early? [He asks, like he cares. He lifts a hand to run his fingers through her hair, moving his hand to cup her face.]

[inlaid]

[If she were on the job, she'd hide her feelings better. Her smile would be bright and easy and no one would be able to tell how worried she'd been. But Bryn doesn't think to hide things from her friends, and she hadn't just been worried about Taako (though he seemed more at risk than Thor.)

It might occur to her later that part of her had found it harder to take in stride because the fight involved the two people she cares most about on this moon, and that it had been difficult for her to watch them fight each other. Even more difficult to watch them hurt each other.

But for now she's drowned her feelings in good liquor and is more than happy to let the feelings melt away under the touch of Thor's hand. Pressing into the touch of his fingers, she smiles, turns a little to kiss the edge even as her hand strokes over the back of his shoulders.]

We could always just leave for a little while and then come back. Ten, fifteen minutes? Unless you'd rather stay here of course.

[She's fine either way. They're far enough into the party that she doesn't feel like she has to mingle or circulate anymore when she'd rather be seated there with him.]

[worldsaway]

Yes, I'd much rather sit here and drink than be alone with you.

[His voice is flat and he raises a brow. He doesn't want to say I don't even want to be here anymore, so he doesn't. If it just so happened that they went to her home, fucked, held each other, stayed in bed and never came back, he would be extremely content.

And so, he easily lifts her as he stands, a hand under her thighs and back to keep her steady before he sets her down and presses a kiss to the top of her head.]

Home? [It is her home, but he finds himself there so often that he has no issues claiming a little ownership.]

[inlaid]

[She lets out a little laugh at that. It seems that she missed what he was saying originally. Perhaps she'd been the one to make a fuss about an after-party to Taako, but in this case she feels in tune with Thor. The idea of staying at the bar another hour or two doesn't appeal to her right now.

The way Thor picks her up without warning is enough to make her laugh again, with open, genuine delight, and the smile on her face lingers as he sets her down and kisses the top of her head. Hands reaching out, she lets them rest against his abdomen, rather pleased by his casual use of the word home. As if it were theirs instead of just hers.

He's over there enough that it feels that way more often than not, even walking the dog in the morning when she can't be roused from sleep easily.]

Yeah, home.

[There are some good byes to be said of course. Even as she reaches down for his hand curls her pinky finger around his, she's heading over to Taako to let him know that they're leaving and to give her friend a kiss on the cheek. Everyone else, well, she doesn't stop unless Thor does, heading slowly but steadily toward the exit.]